One of the first exercises I often use to begin team-based strategy sessions is the creation of a Personal Narrative card.

For centuries, Calling Cards announced the impending arrival of visitors or recorded social calls. Today’s Business Cards descended from social calling cards and are the standard means by which introductions are made within a commercial context. Similarly, Tent Cards used in meetings or conferences typically provide identification to facilitate the impression of knowing one’s peers by addressing them by their names.

Productive teamwork and collaboration require more meaningful knowledge of one’s teammates. It is important to know more about the whole person

The problem with all of these formats is that they typically provide only the basic information (name, title, organization affiliation and contact information) and do not say very much about an individual. They provide identification, but little about who we really are and what we really do.

Productive teamwork and collaboration require more meaningful knowledge of one’s teammates. It is important to know more about the whole person – including our interests, how we spend our time outside of working hours, what we like to do (not just what we have to do) and our personal network of relationships. Isn’t it important to be aware of all of your team’s intellectual and experiential assets at the outset?

Furthermore, to maximize the potential of a team, it is essential to know how each team member can complement your personal skills and fill in the gaps of your knowledge and expertise. This is what makes a team stronger and more productive than an individual working alone. It is not simply the multiplication of workers to complete the task faster; it is the multiplication of points of view, knowledge and experience that makes the ideas stronger. This is important for newly formed teams as well as for colleagues who have long histories working together. I advise teams not to focus on the similarities we share, but instead on all that makes us different. In short, tell me something I do not already know about you, and tell me what makes you different. Tell me your story.

Stories are powerful tools. Storytelling is a valuable skill. The Personal Narrative card is a tool for telling stories about you. The requirements are very basic:

The card must include your name

It must tell a visual story about you – something your team does not already know about you.

Include a 1-2 word title. This describes you or a role you would like to play on your team.

You must use multiple available materials

The cards are created using a range of colored papers and craft supplies and take 15 minutes to complete. When time is up, each member of the team takes turns using their card to tell their personal story.

In addition to serving as an icebreaker and providing a means to introduce team members to each other, I use this exercise to demonstrate key design-based concepts for problem solving:

People are an important resource for information

Making physical tools improves thinking and communication

PEOPLE

For the first, to harness the potential of people as informants requires the ability to actively listen. Active listening is hard work and takes practice. This exercise introduces this skill as each person tells their story and their teammates listen for meaning. In a recent workshop with high school students participating in Temple University’s Apps&Maps program, two participants provided important personal information if one listened closely enough to hear the details.

A “Gardener” understands how to nurture growth – for a team this applies to ideas, people and organizations.... Every team needs a “Gardener”.

The first student was relatively shy and his card included only his name, a drawing of a plant and the title “Gardener”. His story, however, revealed his strong interest in plants and the concept of growth. He likes the cycle of growth and decay across seasons. He likes being a part of this cycle. From a team’s perspective, this is very valuable. A “Gardener” understands how to nurture growth – for a team this applies to ideas, people and organizations. A “Gardner” understands cycles of change and can recognize patterns. A “Gardener” takes the long-term view and is patient to wait as change unfolds over time. Every team needs a “Gardener”.

The second student was more conceptual and visual in his approach. He created a card with vibrant color blocks, each labeled with a number. At the top of the card was the simple statement “MY LIFE”. His story revealed that he really likes math and numbers. Each number told a different story about himself: 17 (his age), 3 (the number of siblings he has), 12th (his grade), 246 (the area code of his home – Barbados), 1/2/3/4 (the yard lines on a football field – his favorite sport), and a math equation (his favorite subject). In a simple framework of numbers, he provided information about himself, his network of relationships, his geographic origins, his ability to be a team player and his quantitative skills. Furthermore, what was most interesting was his ability to use numbers to tell a compelling story. Here, was a budding design thinker who could deftly combine quantitative and qualitative concepts to weave a story.

In August, I also used this exercise in an executive training session in Tokyo. One of the participants described herself using the title "The Fourth Creator." Using her Narrative Card, she described her role as a writer in a scenario in which two people are talking. Each is a story creator. In addition, the environment in which they are speaking serves as the third creator. She is a silent observer in the background and completes the group as the 4th creator. As a writer, she actively listens, observes and documents the scenario and translates it into a narrative form. For her team, this description reveals a valuable asset. Her ability to serve as an active listener, detailed observer and translator is essential to problem definition and solving. In addition, her recognition that interactions are shaped by both people and their environment reveals a keen understanding of socio-spatial relationships. In many ways, her story is the story of the Narrative Card itself. Storytelling and active listening have great value in understanding problems and identifying important stakeholder needs in minor details spoken in casual conversations.

TOOLS

After completing the exercise, most people discover that the process of making the card is ultimately more important than the product – the card itself. 

The second design-based concept demonstrated by this exercise is the importance of making tools to improve thinking and communication. Designers know that making tools is an important part of the cognitive process of a project. Whether it is sketches, drawings or models, the act of making is an act of thinking. After completing the exercise, most people discover that the process of making the card is ultimately more important than the product – the card itself.

A tool is defined as a "device that aids in accomplishing a task" and "a means to an end." Tools improve performance and make a job easier. The making of the card enables one to think through ideas, organize thoughts and work through a structure for an introduction. Making the card is a thinking tool. It is a "hands-on" way to contemplate who you are and what is important to share. The card itself is a communication tool. It is a speaking prompt to remind one about important points and how to sequence them to tell a story. In both cases, the tool improves the outcomes - enabling better content and better delivery.

Are you interested in trying this exercise to start your next team project? The exercise instructions are as follows:

Making a Personal Narrative card

The purpose of this exercise is:

To introduce team members

To introduce the concepts of people as and important resources for information, and the skills of storytelling and active listening

Instructions

Make a name card to introduce yourself to your team. You have 15 minutes.

The requirements are:

The card must stand

You must use multiple materials

It must include your name

It must tell a visual story about you – something your team does not already know about you.

Include a 1-2 word title. This is a role you would like to play on your team.

Explorer

Analyst

Artist

People person

Anthropologist

Puzzle solver

Synthesizer

Numbers person

Other

After 15 minutes, ask team members to take 2 minutes each to introduce themselves to each other. Ask a volunteer to start and then go clockwise around the table.

If you are facilitating a large group with multiple teams, ask 3 people to volunteer to introduce themselves. Use these as discussion points for understanding the value of the exercise as an illustration of key concepts for collaboration. Some of the lessons learned are listed below.

Lessons learned

Know your team and build on your strengths

Communicate verbally and VISUALLY

Make tools to improve thinking and communicating

Details Matter

Use all of your available resources (materials, experiences, your team, and TIME)

When was the last time you decided to DRAW or MODEL a business strategy?

This is a question I often pose to professionals and students and I am always met with a blank stare. Surely, I must be kidding. Isn't this a bit too much like arts and crafts? In business, we don't draw or make things. But what if we did?

Maybe we are too limited by our preconceived ideas of what these terms mean. When I want to understand a concept better and more objectively, my two main resources are the dictionary and people. Let's begin by looking at the definitions of these words and their origins to better understand them.

To DRAW is really not about pretty pictures. Its origins are much more aggressive - to drag - and its definitions reveal a deliberate set of actions to direct or manipulate a situation toward certain desired outcomes. To DRAW can mean:

to induce or attract

to provoke

to elicit

to extract the essence from

DRAW - transitive verb

Middle English drawen, dragen, from Old English dragan; akin to Old Norse draga to draw, drag

2: to cause to go in a certain direction3 a: to bring by inducement or allure: ATTRACTc: BRING ON, PROVOKEd: to bring out by way of response: ELICIT5 a: to extract the essence fromb: EVISCERATE

— From: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/draw

Aren't these the fundamental goals of any organization's interaction with its stakeholders through marketing, service design, business analysis or strategic planning? All of these actions represent the engagement of constituents, framing their actions to achieve defined objectives, learning from them and understanding the situation better to ultimately improve it. From this perspective, drawing is much more about business leadership than aesthetics, but the outcomes can be equally beautiful.

Of all the definitions, my favorite is to "eviscerate." This is when one really goes for the guts of a problem or situation. In most business contexts, the rule of time is money dictates the need to make decisions and reach a point of resolution as soon as possible. This is what Dick Boland and Fred Collopy refer to as a decision attitude, rather than a design attitude. Unfortunately, this drive for resolution does not allow one to get beyond the known or superficial - resulting in outcomes that are expedient and obvious. This is the enemy of innovation. To eviscerate means opening up a project exploration and is an exploratory process on the path toward eventual resolution. It is messy and takes time but leads to a deeper understanding of a problem or situation and ideally better decision making.

Drawing is a powerful tool for designers and artists, but eventually they are constrained by the limitations of two dimensions. To fully understand complex relationships, a third dimension is often required. Architects typically take a multi-modal approach, continuously switching between sketching (informal drawings), measured drawings (more formal) and models to develop a design from inception to implementation. Similarly, in business design a multi-modal approach is also necessary. Once a drawing reaches its limitations of effectiveness, it may be time to switch to a model for a new perspective and new insights.

A model of the underground market for unlicensed apparel

MODEL noun

from Latin ‘modulus’ small measure

: a usually small copy of something: a set of ideas and numbers that describe the past, present, or future state of something (such as an economy or a business)

3: structural design4: a usually miniature representation of something; also : a pattern of something to be made 5: an example for imitation or emulation 11: a description or analogy used to help visualize something that cannot be directly observed 12: a system of postulates, data, and inferences presented as a mathematical description of an entity or state of affairs

MODEL transitive verb

1: to plan or form after a pattern : shape 2 archaic : to make into an organization (as an army, government, or parish) 3 a : to shape or fashion in a plastic material b : to produce a representation or simulation of 4: to construct or fashion in imitation of a particular model 5: to display by wearing, using, or posing with 

— From: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/model

To model a problem or situation adds additional insights for understanding, learning, and developing an idea. However, a common misconception is that a model is the presentation tool to show the client at the end of the process. To be most effective, models are an integral part of the process, not just the product. By deconstructing the definition of model, both as a product and a process, we again discover many of the outcomes and objectives of a smart business leader.

Beginning with the model as product, it is a small copy - a reproduction of intended outcomes in a reduced scale. As a copy, the level of detail and exactness and the ability to be scalable are essential, hence its origins in small measure. This also reflects a model's role as "a structural design" and "a pattern to be made." It is is a representation in the framework upon which something is built. The ultimate goal is implementation.

Second, a model is a visualization tool that relies upon quantitative and qualitative information. It describes through numbers, physical forms and relationships. This balance can provide a full spectrum of understanding. Furthermore, it describes "something that cannot be directly observed." This is the key to understanding its business value. It shows things that cannot be seen otherwise. Combining ideas and numbers, a model is a strategic tool that describes past, present and future states. Aren't these the essential points of view of any good process improvement or strategic plan?

Switching to the process of modeling we find the actions of planning, shaping, producing and constructing. These are all actions involved in creation and production and dovetail with business operations, strategy, implementation, and innovation.

Of particular interest is the meaning 'to make into an organization." All businesses are organizations and the creation of new businesses is entrepreneurship, suggesting a role for model making in this process. Recently, The Business Model Canvas has been a popular format for understanding business models. As a canvas, the metaphor from painting suggests a two-dimensional representation. Although a very effective means of organizing information, what would happen if a third dimension were introduced into the process?

Finally, to model also means "to display by wearing, using or posing..." This reveals the performative aspect of a model and the potential benefits of active engagement through role play. In modeling services or processes, both of which involve actors and actions spread over time, role play is a powerful tool for understanding how time-based events unfold. Yes - EVERYONE is worried that they will look ridiculous - but a great deal can be learned from the subconscious and natural reactions to a situation. The greatest rewards result from taking risks. Most find that the minor social risks are worth the rewards of an efficient means to a deeper contextual understanding of a subject.

MBA students role playing an interactive information kiosk scenario

It is only by drawing often, drawing everything, drawing incessantly, that one fine day you discover to your surprise that you have rendered something in its true character.”

Camille Pissarro

— From: http://www.brainyquote.com

One of the most important lessons to learn about utilizing drawing and modeling is that they are often exploratory tools and may not reveal anything on the first try. Their effectiveness is through the heuristic learning process of iterative drawing and building. Mastery of the process itself also takes time. Each time one draws or builds a model, one learns more about the situation being studied and more about the potential effectiveness of the process itself. Turning to our second resource, people, we can learn more about this. The 19th century impressionist painter Camille Pissarro described the discipline and repetition required to master the process of drawing. For him, constantly drawing reveals the true character of a situation. Through drawing he was able to extract the essence from the subject. Can drawing and modeling provide the same for you?